EPA rolls out $39.4M plan to clean up radioactive site in Ridgewood

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said they will help cover relocation costs for buildings within the contaminated site after the old Wolff-Alport Chemical Co. on Irving Ave. in Ridgewood polluted the area.

(Tanay Warerkar/New York Daily News)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a comprehensive plan Thursday to clean up radioactive contamination by a former Queens chemical plant.

The $39.4 million proposal calls for the demolition of several buildings near the old Wolff-Alport Chemical Co. on Irving Ave. in Ridgewood.

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EPA officials will first try to get the polluters to cover the tab. If that doesn't work, the site will have to compete against others in the nation over a limited pool of federal funds.

But the Superfund cleanup may never get off the ground during the Trump administration.

The president has called for an approximately 30% cut to the EPA's budget.

But the agency is confident the work will get done despite the constraints,

"It looks like we will be able to proceed with the cleanup," said EPA spokesman Elias Rodriguez.

The project will likely take years to complete, he added.

It will entail the "permanent relocation of five commercial businesses," the EPA said.

Five tenants will have to move as part of the proposed Superfund cleanup in Ridgewood, Queens. (EPA)

The EPA will help with relocation costs.

"While we recognize that relocation will be a stress on these businesses, we are weighing that against the long-term risks from radiation, which include an increased risk of cancer," said Catherine McCabe, EPA's acting regional administrator.